87 GT 2.8 stocker and auto.

Apparently someone, somewhere had all my plug wires on in the wrong locations on the distributor. Was wondering why I had a terrible miss/hesitation. Yay I got that figured out... ran the cables in the correct order and the thing fires smoooooooth. Problem is...... it won't idle AT ALL. I mean nothing, doesn't even consider it. What could make the rpms just fall off like that? Any takers?

~James

On another note. J had to remove the actual distributor that was in the car since it was broken. Is there anything j had to do with the aldl even tho i put it back on in the same location? Could this have anything to do with it?

Did you set the timing when you replaced the distributator?

I took cylinder 1 to tdc, then continued to turn til the groove lined up with 10° btdc. Then made sure that my rotor was lined up with the cylinder 1 tower on the distributor. I have not yet done the fine tune since I don't have a timing light. But do you think that could still be off enough to not idle? Runs smooth when you hit the gas. But does not liken it if you try to hold it in place or let off to idle.

~James

If you can get it to run at all, get a timing light on it and short pins A and B on the ALDL to see what the current base timing setting is. The person who messed with it before and put all the wires on incorrectly may have then adjusted the timing to get it to run. There should be a label under the decklid telling what to set base timing to.

If you are turning your crankshaft clockwise (you should because that is the way the engine rotates) you will find that 10 deg before TDC comes before TDC.

If you rotated the engine counter clockwise, then the timing might be off by the slack in the timing chain.

So I would recommend that you pull the dist cap, turn the engine clockwise using the crankshaft balancer bolt, and have someone look at the rotor as you do. When it is getting close to #1, then stop before TDC. Don't pass it and back up because that plays with the slack in the chain.

With the crank stopped at 10 deg before TDC, verify that rotor is indeed pointing at the #1 tower, and that the points and prongs are lined up exactly.

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If that is set right, and please do check it, then try electrically unplugging the MAP sensor and see if it runs much better. If so look for a broken vacuum tube. There is a tap on the upper plenum that one side runs to the MAP sensor, and the other side runs to the fuel pressure regulator. If either vacuum line is cracked and not giving full manifold vacuum to the MAP sensor, the ECM will be running the engine quite rich. You can also a test run a rubber vacuum hose directly from that nipple on the upper intake to the MAP sensor. The Fuel Pressure Regulator's reading of the intake manifold pressure is not as critical as the MAP sensors. The MAP sensor is the #1 sensor that the ECM uses to determine how much fuel to inject. Since your engine is running so crappy, your problem has to be one of the bigger things, not a smaller thing like the intake air temp sensor.

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Also when the RPMs drop, what does the tach do? Does it operate normally (show the actual RPMs even when the engine is dying?) or does it the tach seem to drop out with the engine? Was the replacement dist new or used? Used dist, and tach totally dying with the engine dropping out could be weak magnets in the dist rotor. But then most likely you would have huge problems getting it to start also.

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No scanner cable eh?

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 07-27-2013).]

Wish i had a scanner lol. I think j may know part of my problem. I was under the impression that you wanted to use the large groove on the balancer to line up with the 10° btdC mark. So I would run it to tdc (when air would come out of the cylinder, and then continue clockwise until that next mark lined up with the 10 mark. From what I just got from reading your post phonedawgz is that j should stop at the mark prior to air coming out. Which makes sense. Am I safe to say that I have been lining it up 10 BEYOND top dead center?